Weather related problems, such as rail buckling and derailments, pose a significant problem. In addition to the direct loss of equipment and possible personal injury, there are significant consequential costs to commerce and society in terms of lost use of that line, the need to reroute traffic, delays, etc. The reduction of average speeds even of as little as 1 mph, has been estimated to involve millions of dollars in societal costs.
Extreme temperatures (high or low) and adverse weather (e.g., flooding or extreme cold or snow or ice) can force train services to slow down, or, in some cases, stop and/or reroute. Most methods of monitoring rail temperatures to date have involved equipment affixed to rails in limited, specific, static locations. Such fixed sites typically involve significant spatial gaps, are relatively expensive to deploy, require significant site preparation and infrastructure, and are difficult to install and/or maintain, especially in remote stretches.